3 die, 1 missing as landslide buries 14 houses in Rasuwa

RASUWA, August 7: Three people were killed when a landslide triggered by incessant rains at Uttargaya Rural Municipality-4, buried 14 houses on Sunday night. The area lies 45 kilometers south-east of Dhunche, headquarters of Rasuwa district.

The deceased have been identified as 78-year-old Bhakta Bahadur Nagarkoti; Muna Thapa Magar, 23; and Rabin Thapa Magar, 4.

According to District Police Office, Rasuwa, 77-year-old Dharma Bahadur Thapa remains missing after the landslides buried the houses in Parebeshi and Dhakalswara at 10 pm on Sunday.
 

A joint squad of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army has been carrying out rescue work since early Monday. Two excavators are being used to remove the landslide debris.

The three bodies were exhumed from the incident site while a search is continuing for 77-year-old Thapa, said Chief District Officer (CDO) Chomendra Neupane.

Meanwhile, authorities have distributed Rs 10,000 each to 14 families whose houses were completely destroyed by the landslide. Those who have been displaced by the landslide have been provided materials such as blankets, tents and utensils as emergency relief.
 
The District Disaster Relief Committee, Rasuwa has informed that around 175 houses in different villages in the district are in highly landslide-prone areas. Meanwhile, 27 families of Pairebeshi have been shifted to a safe place. "Several villages here in Rasuwa district are in landslide-prone areas. So, we are planning to identify such settlements and shift them to safer areas," said CDO Neupane.